'Opal Hair' Is Trending on Instagram, and It's the Coolest New Spin on Pastel

The world of Instagram hair color trends can seem endless, but you have to hand it to the Internet for the sheer creativity involved with naming these colors: Take "mulled wine" hair or "cinnamon chocolate," but if you're looking for something fresh, it doesn't get cooler than opal hair.

From the chill 18,931 tagged photos of "opal hair" on Instagram, the trend draws on everything good about the unicorn and mermaid trends that dominated 2017. Think a light, peachy color on a platinum base, mixed with silvery pinks and hints of ice blue.

If you went platinum last year and want to get the most out of it, opal hair's loose mix of purple, pink, oranges, and blues is a gorgeous way to go. A quick scroll through the options proves that it's endlessly customizable: Skew it more purple and you can go amethyst, while a heavier hand with the pastels takes you into a totally new look.

But as people with dark hair know, it's tough to get those light, shimmering tints to show up on anything deeper than dirty blond. In response, some hairstylists have come up with a darker spin on the color, and dubbed it "opal-oil slick" hair.